


Tickle

by scrumbled



Series: Moonchild [2]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Found Family, Gen, Hugging, Oneshot, Tickling, because i'm physically incapable of writing a fic without hugging in it, cause that shit is my jam yo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-09 22:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8915962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrumbled/pseuds/scrumbled
Summary: Angus's eyes went round, the effect enhanced by his glasses."UH—" he said, just as Carey put two and two together and yelled, "YOU'RE TICKLISH!?"





	

They found Angus standing rapt in front of the Voidfish, eyes wide. He wasn’t quite tall enough to be able to see over the barrier around the bottom of the tank, so he was raised up on his toes with support from fingertips clinging to the shallow lip. 

“Hey, want a boost?” called Killian as she and Carey swept into the room, and Angus jumped so hard he almost fell over. 

“Uh, hello si—madams! Wh—what was that you said?” he said as he steadied himself. 

Killian laughed heartily and reached out to haul Angus up to her shoulders. As she did so, he seemed to hesitate for a moment, but he quickly got the picture and turned around so she could lift him up. Carey lent a steadying claw and grabbed his hand when he was up. His other hand immediately went out to the glass, and he all but smushed his face to the side of the tank to see better. 

“Thank you,” he breathed, and ye gods if that was all it took to make him this happy, Killian would be happy to pick him up anytime. The Voidfish gently lifted a spiraling tentacle to Angus’s hand and sang out its simple song. 

“Oh, wow,” Angus murmured, “it’s even cooler when I’m closer.”

“Yeah, she’s beautiful, ain’t she?” said Carey. 

“She’s… the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Except you, of course,” he added, smiling cheekily at Carey. Killian nodded vigorously, and said “You got that  _ right _ , boyo!” 

Carey, for her part, squeezed Angus’s hand, smiled back, and batted her eyes with an “Aww, you’re too nice!” 

“It’s just the truth, ma’am,” Angus chirped, and Killian laughed.

“Damn, Ango, I like you more and more by the second!” she said. “I’m gonna have to steal some of your lines!”

She reached up to set Angus down, but when she let go of his legs to do so he lost his balance and swung backward over her back. He screamed, first in fear, but then in delight when she caught his legs and swung him around. All of them started to laugh, and Carey stepped in, grabbing both of Angus’s hands and dancing with the weird Angus-Killian amalgam. Through his laughter, Angus managed to rush out, “It’s—I’m like a boy… backpack! A boypack! A backboy!”

Soon, Killian was laughing too hard to stay upright. Carey lifted Angus off of her back before he fell and set him down on the ground, where he immediately sat down because he’d gone straight into the kind of shrieking laughter you can only have after you’ve been scared shitless. Carey slid down beside him, and Killian knelt down with them, until they were just three idiots laughing at nothing on the floor. 

Once their giggles subsided into quiet huffs of breath, Carey leaned over and elbowed Angus’s side to get his attention. “Hey, how’s about we—what the  _ shit, _ ” she cut herself off because when she touched him he’d  _ squeaked _ and all but leapt away from her, a feat not easily accomplished while sitting. In the exact moment before he went all Flipwizard McGee on her, however, she noticed that he’d broken out in a huge involuntary smile. His eyes went round, the effect enhanced by his glasses. 

“UH—” he said, just as Carey put two and two together and yelled, “YOU’RE TICKLISH!?”

Angus froze for a moment, eyes pinballing between them both. Then, in an explosion of movement, he barked out a laugh, sprung up, and sprinted out of the room. Both ladies immediately scrambled after him. 

“Okay, Killian, I’m flanking! I hold, you tickle!” Carey cried as she split off and sprinted away.

Killian, for her part, knew immediately that the boy was going to try some sneaky horseshit. He looked desperate enough to hide in an air duct or some such foolery. So instead of trying to find him immediately, she sought out Taako, who she knew was in the library studying spells.

“TAAKO!” she roared as she entered the library, startling everyone inside so badly that she wasn’t even shushed. The elf’s head popped up from behind a stack of books, ears pinned forward. 

“ _ What!? _ ” he shout-whispered, scrambling backwards as the giant woman ran towards him.

“Cast Locate Creature and tell me where Angus is right the  _ fuck  _ now!” she hissed. Taako’s eyes hardened, his ears tilted back, and he straightened up.

“What are you after him for?” Suspicious now, he stood up.

Killian rolled her eyes. “I want to  _ tickle _ him, you defensive ass! I know he’s gotta be hiding somewhere!”

Ye gods, she’d never seen a person’s expression and body language change that quickly. Taako scrambled for his staff, eager now—

“Holy  _ shit _ that is  _ awesome can I join _ ?” He fumbled with the umbrella for a moment, struggling to get the clasp—he was closer now—“GOT IT!” he yelled, flinching at the echo in the cavernous room. 

Wincing an apology at the librarian, he turned slowly in a circle, head cocked like he was listening for something.

“This way!” he said as he burst into motion, Killian close behind.

\--

Carey crept along a side wall (how did she  _ do _ that) into the mess hall, left dark between meals. Taako and Killian followed close behind. They  _ knew  _ that Angus had to be in here. It was just a matter of finding the clever little bastard. 

“Fan out,” whispered Killian. “Stay quiet.”

They’d been searching for a minute and half when all three of them heard a small rustling noise. Their heads swiveled in unison to see Angus, caught mid-attempt to sneak around a counter. All at the same time, Angus squealed and scrambled to get away, Killian and Taako almost tripped themselves in their effort to sprint after him, and Carey leapt off of the wall in what was possibly the coolest looking tackle attempt in the history of the Bureau. She missed, landing with a slap on the floor. 

Angus streaked away from them, screaming and laughing. He actually made it outside before Killian succeeded at tackling him to the soft grass of the quad. She scooped him up mid-stride, flipping so that she landed on the ground and he landed on top of her, as considerate as ever. She let go of him and grabbed his wrists with one hand, kneeling for maximum tickle effect with her other hand. 

Carey was there in a hot second, pinning Angus’s ankles with her hands. Taako reached them last, his fingers already outstretched and a-wigglin’. Angus screeched with laughter, struggling desperately against his iron-willed captors. Taako dug his fingers into Angus’s ribs and he shrieked, smiling fit to burst.

“I can—I can’t breathe!” he managed to get out as Carey pulled off of his shoes to get at his feet. 

“If you can breathe enough to protest, you can breathe enough to be tickled!” Killian said as she attacked his sides mercilessly. 

Taako switched to Angus’s armpits, and as soon as he touched them even the slightest bit Angus let out a sound the likes of which should not have been possible from such a small young boy. He wriggled so hard that he actually broke free. He scrambled upright, fixing his clothes and picking up his shoes and glasses from where they had fallen in the fracas. He pouted at them, but everyone there knew that he was trying desperately not to smile. 

Killian laughed at his sorry appearance and looped him into a hug. “We love you, kid,” she huffed, slapping his back. Carey gave him a noogie and drew him into a hug of her own when Killian let him go.

Taako took Angus’s glasses, dusted them off, and placed them on Angus’s nose, which scrunched up in response. Angus’s composure cracked just a little and one corner of his mouth quirked up. Taako pushed up Angus’s glasses with a flick of one finger. “Aww, come here, bubbeleh. You look adorable when you’re put out,” he said, spreading his arms. Angus beamed and leapt forwards.

As he hugged Angus, Taako made sure to get one last tickle in—just the barest brush against Angus’s tummy, just to see him huff out a laugh and squeeze the wizard tighter.

“Oh, and Ango,” Taako said, voice saccharine sweet, “Magnus doesn’t know you’re ticklish. If you don’t think I’m going to use that as leverage, then honey,  _ you got a big storm comin’ _ .”

**Author's Note:**

> people asked if i would add more to flinch,, so here. i tripped on the keyboard


End file.
